The Moment: 4th century B.C.: Aristotle writes Rhetoric, a treatise on the art of persuasion.

It would be tough to find a more poignant image of LGBT achievement this year than Larry Kramer ascending the Emmy stage to the tune of a standing ovation. The protracted journey from stage to screen of Kramer’s groundbreaking play, The Normal Heart, is a vindication for his uncompromising posture as a founding member of both the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and ACT UP. That The Normal Heart is now considered a standard text for understanding the epidemic’s impact is a testament to Kramer’s ceaseless fight for people with HIV/AIDS. At 79, he is not yet finished: His lifework, The American People, a novel that he began writing in 1978, is scheduled for release next year, coinciding with a two-hour documentary on his life and work to air on HBO. “It’s going to be called Larry Kramer, Get Out of Town,” he jokes, before adding, “It’s quite good, even if it is all about me.”